Droste drives to first-ever IMCA SportMod win on championship night at Independence

Growing up, my junior bowling coach used to tell me something that has stuck with me through the years. Always speaking words of encouragement, he'd say, "Pick up your spares and the strikes will come." To a kid, it sounded like someone trying to sugar-coat the fact that I just missed the 1-3 pocket. In reality, it was someone saying that you need to practice, work on your game, be patient, take what you can get when you can get it and success will eventually become yours. On season championship night at Independence Motor Speedway, Tyler Droste threw a strike, bringing the crowd to its feet as the 14-year-old earned his first career IMCA SportMod victory.

Droste, a third generation driver - the son of IMCA Modified champion Steve Droste and grandson of Late Model legend Red Droste - made a last lap pass to earn a win that will go down as one of the greatest championship night memories in the rich 46-year history of the speedway.

Outside front row starter Josh Sherbon, and winner of four of the last five SportMod features at Independence, paced the field when the green flag waved. Points leader Austin Kaplan and Danny Dvorak gave chase while Droste worked from a fourth row starting spot. With Sherbon in control of the event, Droste worked into the top five by the fifth circuit, then settled into fourth as Kaplan tangled with a lapped car on the 11th lap to bring out the caution flag.

Sherbon led the pack when racing resumed with Dvorak in second and Droste in third after Kaplan was sent to the tail for his involvement in the caution. Droste quickly worked past Dvorak and remained in the second spot until the final caution flag waved on the 16th of 20 laps.

When the race restarted for the final time, Sherbon again held serve with Droste in tow, challenging on the low side. The top two remained unchanged until turn four of the final lap when Sherbon drifted high, allowing Droste to pull even with the leader. In a drag race to the checkers, Droste inched ahead at the line to score the victory. Chris Luloff came from an eighth row start to finish third ahead of Jim Buhlman. Kaplan raced through the pack to salvage a fifth place finish. By simply taking the green flag in the event, Kaplan locked up the track points title.

Fourteen-year-old Tyler Droste earned his first-ever win in the IMCA SportMod division. Droste became the third straight different championship night winner in the division. Independence Motor Speedway promoter Cam Granger presents Droste with the trophy and checkered flag. (all photos courtesy of Scott Tjabring/ Action Track Photography/ http://www.actiontrackphotos.com/)

Austin Kaplan (1) drove to the IMCA SportMod track championship at Independence.

In the IMCA Stock Car division, points leader Jarod Weepie chased fellow front-row starter Sean Johnson after the drop of the green in that 15-lap event. Weepie made his way past Johnson for the lead on the third lap with Brian Irvine on his rear bumper, chasing him to the front.

With Weepie out front and Irvine close behind, Dave Stricker and Johnson remained close as those four drivers broke away from the pack in single file formation. Irvine attempted to pass the leader using both the high and low grooves, however he was unsuccessful as Weepie drove to the win, his first of the year, to wrap up his fourth division crown. Irvine, Stricker, Johnson and Norman Chesmore chased Weepie to the checkers.

Jarod Weepie assured himself of his fourth IMCA Stock Car points championship in six years by scoring the feature win on championship night, his only win of the season. He became the first driver in over 30 years at the speedway to win a track championship after winning only the season championship feature. Ironically, it was also the first time Weepie won on championship night during a year he won the track title.

Outside front row starter Jamie Whitaker took the lead at the start of the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Points leader Rod Grother settled into the second spot as a trio of cautions slowed the first half of the event.

Following the final restart on lap seven, Whitaker again shot into the lead while Justin Lichty worked through traffic from his fourth row starting spot. Lichty made his way into third one lap later, then passed Grother for second just two laps later. Lichty reeled in the rear bumper of Whitaker, but was unable to advance any further as Whitaker drove to his third win of the season. Lichty ran second ahead of Grother, who locked up his first division crown at Independence. Justin Stander and August Bach completed the top five.

Jamie Whitaker's third IMCA Hobby Stock win of the season came during season championship action.

Rod Grother gets a shower of soda after clinching his first IMCA Hobby Stock track championship. Grother became the 20th different track champion in the Hobby Stocks in the 22 years the division has competed at Independence.

When Jerry Luloff gave up his outside front row starting spot of the IMCA Modified feature in attempt to double his prize money by winning from the back of the pack, Darin Duffy inherited the outside pole position start. Duffy took advantage of the opportunity and motored into the lead when the green flag waved. Points leader Troy Cordes settled into second with Vern Jackson and Justin O'Brien in pursuit.

Duffy stretched his advantage to nearly a straightaway by the time he encountered lapped traffic at the midway point of the 25-lapper. Duffy dealt with the backmarkers for only a couple of laps before the caution flag waved on lap 15.

When racing resumed, Adam Johnson rocketed from the fifth position around Jackson and O'Brien then pulled alongside Cordes by the time the field entered turns three and four. Johnson took over second one lap later as Duffy again powered away from his competitors.

O'Brien went to work on the low groove, making his way around Cordes and into a challenge for second with Johnson with only a handful of laps remaining. O'Brien inched ahead just before the final yellow flag waved on lap 21. On the restart, Duffy held off O'Brien's challenges to score the victory, the 36th of his career at Independence, ahead of O'Brien and Johnson. J.D. Auringer and Jackson rounded out the top five. By taking the green flag in the feature, Troy Cordes locked up his third career Modified title at Indee and his second in the last three seasons.

Darin Duffy (19D) won the battle, but Troy Cordes (71) won the war... Duffy earned the IMCA Modified victory on championship night, while Cordes earned his third career track title in the division at Independence.

Points leader and pole-sitter Tyler Bruening took the early lead in the IMCA Late Model feature with Darren Ackerman in tow. The leaders quickly separated themselves while Dale Hackwell Jr. worked the low line into third from his third row start. The top three remained unchanged until mechanical problems brought Hackwell's #145 to a stop on the back straightaway to force a caution on lap 12.

When racing resumed, Bruening again took charge with Ackerman close behind. Bruening extended his advantage once more as he approached backmarkers on lap 20. At that time, the caution waved again, leaving Bruening with a clear track ahead of him on the restart. Bruening survived another caution late in the race to earn his second feature win of the season, locking up his first career track championship in the process. Ackerman ran second at the line. Greg Kastli, who, like Luloff in the Modifieds, took the challenge and started the event from the back of the pack, made an impressive run through the field to finish third. Luke Merfeld, who was 18th on the starting grid, raced to a fourth place finish ahead of Jon Passick.

Tyler Bruening's second IMCA Late Model win of 2010 propelled him to his first career track championship.

Also present were a handful of Nostalgia cars, many of which were replicas of past competitors at the speedway. Jim Clayton took the win in that 10-lapper driving a 1971 Mustang. Jamie Huff, driving a 1966 Ford Fairlane, a Darrell Dake replica, finished second. Dan Beer, driving an Ed Sanger replica 1970 Camaro, ran third.

Dan Beer drives a 1970 Camaro replica of Ed Sanger's ride during Nostalgia action at Independence.

Prior to feature action, cash dashes were held in all five weekly divisions. Rusty Horn, the son of longtime speedway supporter Bill Horn who died earlier this summer, offered $500 of bonus money for the special dash races. Joel Brasch (Late Models), Adam Johnson (Modifieds), Norman Chesmore (Stock Cars), Danny Dvorak (SportMods) and Quinton Miller (Hobby Stocks) each earned $100 in respective winner-take-all dashes in their divisions.

Along with the racing action, Karsyn's Krusaders was celebrating its first year at the speedway. It was one year ago when their crusade to "Kick Cancer's Butt" began at Independence. Five cancer survivors were invited to wave the green flag to get the championship features underway. Joining flagman Dan Hilby in the flagstand to throw the green were Cam Wilson, age four, a leukemia survivor; Wendy Irvine, wife of Stock Car driver Brian Irvine, a lymphoma survivor; Rick Studebaker, a lung cancer survivor; Ryan Young, a leukemia survivor, and five-year-old Karsyn Miller herself, a survivor of leukemia.

In addition, Doug Cue of Superior Cleaning Service, Dick and Erlene Pint of Pint Excavation and Dick and Suzy Curry of Independence Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, sponsored a candy dash for over 250 kids in attendance.

Without a doubt, it was the most action-packed and entertaining season championship night of racing I've attended anywhere. With a jam-packed grandstand and a beautiful night for racing, it was the perfect way to conclude the 2010 season. Thank you to all of the drivers, crews, sponsors and fans for another successful season at Independence!

While weekly racing may be done at Independence, I've been working on a slew of new numbers and other information to provide here at positivelyracing.com. Along with a season-ending Stats Blitz sometime in the coming week, also be on the look-out for a composite list of weekly capsules and recaps from the 2010 season. It will include driver milestones and track records that were set in 2010 presented "as they happened" throughout the course of the season. I anticipate that will be posted sometime Monday night followed by the final Stats Blitz later on in the week.

Saturday night was my 50th race night of the season and I plan for night 51 to be at Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Sunday as three weekly points races remain on its 2010 schedule.